The section below this introduction is taken from candidate Priscilla Gimas' web page. I am supporting Priscilla and I hope you will too. Priscilla's experience on the Finance Committee along with her extensive professional and educational background provide her with a unique set of tools with which to address the issues and challenges facing our community. No board or committee has a more thorough understanding of the town's finances than the Finance Committee and that understanding will provide the Board of Selectmen with a unique perspective when addressing our financial challenges. Priscilla is honest, independent, and objective and there is no doubt that she will represent residents with dignity and respect. Priscilla is not an individual who will disrespect or demean residents, make false claims, or openly defy the very bylaws she is obligated to adhere and enforce.
By contrast, one of her opponents maintains the distinction of being the only individual in the Town's elective history to have been found guilty of violating the town's Sexual Harassment Policy by an independent review board. In addition, he is the only elected official to have been censored by the Board of Selectmen - not once but twice, while also holding the distinction of being the only elective office holder to have been issued a letter of enforcement for continual violations of the town's Zoning Bylaws.
Priscilla is a strong proponent for residents and businesses alike and understands the importance of expanding our tax base in order to lessen the burden on all tax payers. I respectfully request your vote in support of Priscilla Gimas so that we can ensure a fair, balanced, and proactive approach to revitalizing our community. The following information provides an overview of Priscilla and her platform. More information about Priscilla can be found at www.priscillagimas.com.
Priscilla Gimas:
I am running for selectman because I love our community and know that I can contribute towards improving its economic and cultural vitality. We have incredible resources that provide opportunities for planned economic growth that is consistent with our recently conducted Master Plan. I also recognize the importance of preserving our unique multifaceted identity. Through the Master Plan and the Commercial Tourist Revitalization Plan we have the ability to re-establish Sturbridge as "the" business, tourist, and recreational center of Central MA.
As a rural/suburban community, Sturbridge has the ability to market its unique qualities, allowing us to capitalize on those assets that differentiate us from other rural/suburban towns. Our location is what makes Sturbridge the ideal place to be – at the crossroads of New England.
I am seeking your support so that I might have the opportunity to share some of my skills with a team in the best interest of the citizens and businesses of Sturbridge. I have no personal agenda, no special interests, and seek only to work on behalf of the citizens of this community in helping to achieve our common goals and dreams.
I have been privileged to experience the following:
Served on the Sturbridge Finance Committee
Sturbridge Citizen Police Academy
Community Emergency Response Team
Small Business Consultant
School administrator
Doctorate in Educational Leadership
Authored articles on school administrator integrity
Received the key to the City of Lowell for my work as an administrator and bringing international recognition to a private academy
Member of Harrington Hospital Auxiliary
My Approach to the challenges are community includes:
Integrity: Local leaders are the most public "face" of our community. Their actions and words can have both positive and negative consequences for our community and our children. Willingly or not, they are role models who influence how we and others view our community. It is critical that our leaders are honest, respectful, and objective if we are to trust them. I am committed to representing Sturbridge residents with the highest level of integrity. You can be sure that I will remain objective in my decision making and always respectful in working on your behalf.
Economic Development: Economic Development Coordinator/Grant Writer – this is a crucial position that in spite of the current economy, I believe needs to be addressed immediately if our community is to prosper in the future. Preferably this would involve a full time position, but recognizing the limits of available funding, we should endeavor to establish a part-time position at the minimum.
When I first ran for Selectman in 2008 I recognized the need for such a position. Three years later, I am even more convinced of the need to secure an economic development specialist. Just look around town at the vacancies along Routes 131 & 20. Several businesses have come into town in the last 3 years but equally, several have also left. We need an economic development expert who has the credentials and ability to attract new businesses to fill the empty spaces and ease the tax burden on our residents.
Surely, no one element is going to address the economic needs of our community, but rather, a number of complimentary items. Things such as zoning, which the Planning Board has consistently addressed over the years, as well as tax incentives for relocation or expansion of premium commercial enterprises are also important. Additionally, the Planning Board's efforts to successfully petition for the implementation of the Chapter 43D expedited permitting and application process, which "guarantees local permitting and decisions priority development sites within 180 days", provides a desirable tool for promoting business expansion into Sturbridge. So too, will be our ability to offer infrastructure where feasible, once our new wastewater treatment plant is operational and permitted for increased treatment. Without someone however, who can market the benefits of relocating or expanding in Sturbridge, while pursuing business leads in the region, the benefits of zoning, infrastructure, expedited permitting and tax incentives remain unnoticed.
Community Revitalization: Over the last 18 months the Town of Sturbridge has undergone a comprehensive professional Master Planning Process that has identified our communities strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats as it relates to our physical, economic, and social assets. This process is designed to provide a framework for the future development of our community as based upon an in-depth study of our overall infrastructure, as well as input from our town's residents, businesses, and local leaders.
Along with this nearly $100,000 taxpayer funded project, the town was fortunate to receive a grant from Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission totaling nearly $15,000, which provided professional consulting services for the development of a Commercial Tourist Revitalization Plan for portions of Route 20. Similar to the comprehensive master plan, the Commercial Tourist Revitalization Plan provides a framework for improving, growing, and revitalizing the Route 20 Commercial Tourist District.
These soon to be released reports have involved a significant amount of money, time, and effort that will provide the strategies and tools necessary to revitalize and strengthen our community. It will be essential to have leadership that understands the importance of utilizing the resources provided in these studies. In addition, we will need leadership that recognizes the need to commit to both the short-term and long-term elements necessary to achieve the desired outcome. Focusing on any one particular element to appease one viewpoint or another will serve to the detriment of the entire effort. I am committed to providing the objective and honest leadership necessary to realize the desires of all Sturbridge residents - as identified in these very important documents.
Route 15 Development: For years there has been debate about development along Route 15. Some argue that local government prevents growth on Route 15 by refusing to install wastewater infrastructure. There are some who believe that if we extended sewer to Route 15, we could solve most of our economic issues Others might think that any development on Rt.15 could ruin the town's character. These arguments lead to the annual anti-business/pro-business or pro-growth/anti-growth labels that get attached to candidates. The reality is that it simply isn't that simple.
First, the Board of Selectmen do not have the authority to simply install sewer lines on Route 15 using municipal funds. That power is vested in the voters at Annual Town Meeting because it involves borrowing. Secondly, the Sturbridge Sewer Bylaws require public hearings to be held when sewer extensions are involved. This puts the powers in the hands of the voters.
In addition, the town approved $300,000 in 2006 to conduct a comprehensive wastewater management plan that ultimately determined Rt. 15 to be an ideal location for on-site systems. This plan, which did not extend sewer to Rt. 15 was accepted by the town in 2008 and submitted to the state as part of our application for a new wastewater discharge permit. Again, in 2010 the town spent $25,000 to study wastewater alternatives to Rt. 15 and the experts once again recommended not extending public sewer to the area for at least the next 3 years. Tighe & Bond stated that while our permitting process and new treatment plant are evaluated by the state we would be unwise to do anything other than on-site systems on Rt. 15 at the present time.
They also addressed the cost of wastewater treatment for the area and estimated it to be anywhere from $5 million dollars for a limited section of Rt. 15 to as much as $26 million dollars depending upon the extent and type of project. The Sewer Bylaws state that this cost is to be paid by the property owners abutting the area to be sewered. This is the process that has been utilized during sewer extensions to neighborhoods throughout Sturbridge. With only a handful of abutters on Rt. 15, the cost for them would be prohibitive unless the town were to subsidize such a project. This would mean increased fees for all sewer users or additional tax burdens for all if approved at Annual Town Meeting. With many already seeing significant increases in their sewer bills due to the new treatment plant along with a higher tax burden because of the single tax rate, and voter approved expenditures, it would mean more costs for more residents. Consistent with the concerns shared by many Sturbridge residents, the Master Plan report stated that residents were generally in favor of infrastructure on Rt. 15 provided it was primarily paid for by "user fees and grants".
In 2008 the Tuscan River proposal came forward to develop property on Route 15 for an amusement park and commercial/retail project even without water and sewer being located there. That project did not go forward because they sought a zoning change that voters did not support - not because of the lack of sewer infrastructure. It was a decision of the voters and not the Board of Selectmen. In 2010, a proposal for an indoor recreational facility was approved by the Planning and Zoning Boards. This project (though on hold now for financial reasons) came forward despite the lack of public sewer.
Because of the limitations of our current wastewater permit and the likely 3-year delay on any discharge increase by MA Department of Environmental Protection, discussions on extending traditional sewer service to the area is now premature. Additionally, the need to raise significant municipal funds through tax revenues or sewer user rate increases would result in additional financial burdens to Sturbridge residents.
A more fiscally sound approach to Route 15,would be to encourage properly zoned development through tax incentives (Tax Increment Financing), which would reduce tax burdens on a development for the early years, allowing money to be invested by them in on-site sewer options. The other part of this approach would involve the use of Chapter 43D expedited permitting, which would streamline the approval process. In addition, the town could seek and research grant opportunities, possibly through an economic development coordinator.
Senior Services: Sturbridge is unique among many communities in the level of services it provides its senior citizens. Programs such as the Senior Municipal Service Program (SMSP) allows qualifying seniors to perform volunteer services for the community and receive property tax abatements up to a maximum of $750.00. Recently, the Board of Selectmen modified the program by increasing the maximum allowable income, thereby allowing more seniors to be eligible for the program in the next fiscal year. I applaud their efforts.
Additionally, a recent Southbridge Evening News story highlighted a local-option amendment to the SMSP that if passed at Annual Town Meeting, would allow volunteers to perform work for qualifying seniors, and to have their service credited to that senior's tax bill. The program was drafted as the Senior Tax Assessment Reduction Cooperative or STAR Co-op in 2008 by resident Tom Creamer and then presented to the Board of Selectmen by a member of that Board. Our previous Town Administrator Jim Malloy, Rep. Todd Smola, and Sen. Brewer worked within the legislature to pass this bill. It is now awaiting local adoption.
Our Senior Center is one of the most active in the region, thanks to Barbara Search and her staff who offer a large number of programs for Sturbridge seniors. In reviewing their program offerings and the services they provide, it is evident that our community is getting a great deal more out of the Senior Center than available finances would dictate. If elected, I am committed to working collectively with my colleagues and the Council on Aging to explore funding opportunities to ensure service levels are maintained and that funds consistent with the needs are secured.
